The man arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump last weekend took a selfie in his hotel room and monitored updates on Trump’s travel to the Washington Hilton.
Just minutes before charging through a security checkpoint — armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives — Allen was watching Trump’s movements and arming himself for the occasion, according to documents filed by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
The court documents include a photo that 31-year-old Cole Allen took of himself in his Washington Hilton hotel room, showing how he’d armed himself for his planned attack on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The documents were submitted by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, as the Justice Department submitted requests to a judge to keep Allen behind bars as he awaits trial.
Credit: DOJ
The items numbered by prosecutors in the photo are believed to be an ammunition bag (item 1), shoulder holster (item 2), sheathed knife (item 3), and pliers and wire cutters (item 4). Authorities recovered an ammunition bag, knife, and pliers and wire cutters that are consistent with the items seen in the photo, according to prosecutors.
As he prepared for the attack in his hotel room, Allen monitored Trump’s movements on multiple websites, including Civic Tracker’s “Presidential Schedule” page, according to the Justice Department. At 8:27 p.m. Saturday, just a few minutes before leaving his room, Allen visited a media company’s website to view a video titled, “WATCH LIVE: President Trump, first lady en route to White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” the court documents state. On another website, Allen watched live media coverage of Trump getting out of his vehicle after arriving at the hotel for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the documents add.
After leaving his hotel room around 8:30 p.m., Allen made his way toward the event. As he approached a security checkpoint, Allen threw off a long black coat he was wearing that concealed his shotgun and then charged through the security checkpoint and headed in the direction of a staircase leading to the ballroom where the dinner was being held.
“As the defendant did so, he held a shotgun in both hands in a raised position parallel to the ground. A USSS officer observed the defendant fire the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom,” The Justice Department states. “USSS officer and others at the checkpoint heard the gunshot. The USSS officer drew his service weapon and fired five times at the defendant. The defendant fell to the ground, was restrained by law enforcement, and was placed under arrest.”
Allen was not hit by any of the gunfire, but he suffered a minor knee injury, according to the court documents. It appears that the Secret Service agent who was shot during the attack was likely hit by friendly fire, as federal prosecutors did not say that Allen’s shot struck anyone. The Secret Service agent who was hit was protected by a bulletproof vest.
The Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun recovered by authorities after the attack contained “one spent cartridge in the barrel and eight unfired cartridges in the magazine tube,” according to prosecutors.
“An additional six unfired cartridges were attached with Velcro to the shotgun in a detachable ammunition carrier, and the defendant possessed another ten unfired cartridges in a small leather bag,” the court documents state.
Authorities also recovered a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol, which was loaded with ten rounds of ammunition, and two additional handgun magazines loaded with nine rounds each.
Credit: DOJ
Credit: DOJ
The Justice Department argues that Allen, a California native, traveled across the country with the intention to assassinate President Trump, adding, “Had the defendant achieved his intended outcome, he would have brought about one of the darkest days in American history.” In their request for Allen to be held behind bars, prosecutors also pointed to his manifesto, in which he stated that he was willing to kill anyone at the dinner who stood in the way of his objective to murder top administration officials.
Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
